cover. No shots came his way. He worked his way toward the higher ground cautiously. He found a blood trail that led off toward a clearing, but did not pursue it.
Working his way through the rocks, he found the dead man. He rolled the body over and went through the clothing, looking for some identification. He did find a wad of paper money ... several hundred dollars. He shoved that in his back jeans pocket and dragged the man out of the rocks, then went back for the shooter's rifle. He began looking around for the man's horse, and after a few minutes found it. He led the animal back and hoisted the body belly down across the saddle, tying him securely with rope.
Frank managed to get the bank teller's tarp-wrapped body roped down in the pack frame, then headed back to town.
Townspeople paused on the boardwalk, watching Frank ride slowly up the main street. Doc Bracken came out of his office to meet Frank in front of the jail.
'The bank teller fellow's in the tarp,' Frank told him. 'I think it is, anyways. The other one is part of a gang that tried to ambush me. It was a setup to get me out of town. You seen that damn Charles Dutton fellow?'
'The Boston lawyer?'
'Yes.'
'Not lately. Not since the shoot-out, I'm sure.'
'I'll find him. How is Vivian?'
'Weaker, Frank. It's down to hours now, I'm sure.'
'Conrad?'
'Finally accepting the fact that his mother is not going to make it.'
'I'll get those bodies over to Malone.' Frank reached in his back pocket and pulled out the wad of bills. 'The shooter had this money on him.'
'I'd give Malone twenty-five dollars and keep the rest, I was you.'
'I'll give it to Jerry.' Frank grinned. 'For a wedding present.'
'He and Angie have sure been making cow's eyes at one another of late.'
'He'll make her a good husband, and she'll make him a good wife. Doc, you think this town is going to last after the mines play out?'
'Yes, I do, Frank. I just heard that a big cattle outfit is going to come in. The town will lose about half its population when the mines go, maybe more than that, but the solid citizens will stay. Why do you ask?'
'I told you. Doc. I'm pulling out. Jerry will make a fine town marshal.'
'We'll hate to see you go, Frank.'
'I forget the name of the writer who wrote that line about all things coming to an end ... something like that. It's almost time for me to move on.'
Dr. Bracken's nurse came running out of his office and over to the men. 'Doctor! Mrs. Browning just slipped away.'
Doc Bracken looked at Frank.
'Correction, Doc,' Frank said. 'It's time to move on.'
--------
*Twenty-seven*
'Mr. Dutton left several hours ago. Marshal,' the clerk at the hotel told Frank. 'He had to make a very hurried business trip to Denver.'
'Oh? How did he leave? There was no stage scheduled.'
'Well, he had some rather rough-looking men escorting him. I'd never seen any of them before today.'
'Thanks.'
_So much for Dutton_, Frank thought, standing outside the hotel. _I'll deal with him when I find him ... if I ever find him._ Frank had a hunch the Boston lawyer would never again set foot west of the Mississippi River.
The man who had told Frank about the body of the bank teller had hauled his butt out of town. No one had seen him before, and no one knew where he had gone. Another dead end. Undertaker Malone had stopped all other work to prepare Vivian's body. She was to be taken to the railroad spur line just across the border in Colorado and then to Denver. From there she would be transported back east for burial.
Conrad was to escort the body all the way back to Boston.
Frank walked over to Malone's funeral parlor. Conrad was sitting alone in the waiting room. He did not look up as Frank entered.
Frank took off his hat, hung it on a rack, and sat down beside his son. 'Don't you think we'd better talk?'
'We have nothing to discuss. Marshal.'
'I'm your father, Conrad.'
'Biologically speaking, I suppose I have to accept that as fact. I don't have to like it. Mr. Browning was my father. He raised me.'
'And he did a fine job. I didn't know I had a son until your mother told me just a short time ago.' _Just a few weeks back_, Frank thought. _And now she's gone ... forever._ 'I want you to believe that.'
